


Where Loyalties Lie

by NamelesslyNightlock



Series: Going Down Swinging [84]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, BAMF Loki (Marvel), Betrayal, Blood, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Canon-Typical Violence, Dark, Dark Tony Stark, Declarations Of Love, Dramatic Loki (Marvel), Established Relationship, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Oops, Reunions, Secret Relationship, Steve Rogers Dies, Trust, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, poor steve, powerful loki (marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27542641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: When Tony’s feet hit the ground in Stuttgart, Rogers looks to him in relief– but he’s not the one Tony’s come to join.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Going Down Swinging [84]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1330490
Comments: 38
Kudos: 420
Collections: Shady MCU/Marvel Faves





	Where Loyalties Lie

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you once again to **BennyBatch** for helping me put together a summary that actually makes sense to people who are not currently sick and medicated for the second week in a row ❤︎ total lifesaver  
>   
>  **Prompt** — _“I’ve been praying for you.”_

Tony landed in a shower of sparks, the sound of ACDC screaming through the speakers of the SHIELD quinjet above. He could see the relief on Rogers’ face– even as new to this century as he was, it would seem that the good old Captain America had heard of Iron Man.

Tony let a smug smile flicker up at the corners of his lips, knowing that no one would be able to see it under his faceplate. But his gaze didn’t remain on Rogers for long– he only had eyes for the Asgardian holding the spear, the one who had caused all of this trouble all on his _own._

It had been incredible to watch– one man commanding such fear, the confidence exuding from him so that even the way he _walked_ was enough to have people falling to their knees.

He had a whole city, a whole _planet_ in awe, and all he’d done was throw around a few explosions.

“Mr Stark.”

It was Rogers who had spoken, but Tony’s gaze barely flicked back to him as he gave his uninterested response.

“Captain.”

Loki, meanwhile, was watching Tony carefully. He still had his sceptre aimed at Rogers’ head, but he didn’t seem to care enough to keep his eyes on him. Anyone else might have thought that Loki didn’t know what Captain America was capable of, that he was being overconfident and arrogant to the extreme.

But Tony knew that the arrogance was more than earned.

Tony licked his lips, considering his options. As much as he knew what he most _wanted_ to do, he couldn’t be _sure_ that nothing had changed.

There were several beats of tension between them, the only sound the music which still blasted from above and the sirens of the police cars which were wisely keeping their distance.

Neither he nor Loki could be sure of what the other was going to do. Both of them were cautious, watching, _waiting—_

And Tony– well, he already knew where _his_ loyalties lay. He just needed more information about what the hell was going on. In fact, it seemed neither of them were sure what the other was going to do– both of them cautious, watching, _waiting._

But _someone_ was going to have to take the first step. So—

“Make your move, Reindeer Games.”

Loki considered him for a moment, and then—

He stepped closer, his strides as confident as ever, his expression playing close to a smirk despite the touch of wariness that remained in his gaze.

Rogers moved to get up, but Loki waved a lazy hand behind him– entirely restraining Rogers with magic without even turning to look. It was more proof of his power more than anything else yet– proof that had he been _trying,_ he could have taken Rogers in seconds without even breaking a sweat.

Loki had only given Rogers a fight in order to put on a _show–_ and it would seem that now his intended audience had arrived, he no longer cared to keep up the charade.

Loki was currently the most powerful being on the entire planet, and it seemed that he was giving up his efforts to hide that fact—

Which was proved when the quinjet above began to fire, a torrent of bullets raining down and then followed with a small but powerful missile.

Tony didn’t flinch– and Loki didn’t bother with the sceptre. He threw out his empty hand and caught the blast with a shield of pure green energy, absorbing the resultant explosion as the missile detonated before forcing the blast outwards– without even breaking a sweat.

The quinjet swerved, the fact that it only _just_ managed to avoid being knocked out of the air entirely a testament to Romanoff’s piloting skills.

Her voice was terse over the comm. “Tony, if you do not take him down _now_ then we are going to have to take more drastic measures, this is getting out of control—”

“JARVIS.”

Tony’s reply to Romanoff’s sharp message was simple on the surface, but the result was anything but. The SHIELD quinjet suddenly went dark, falling several yards in the sky– then it lit up again before immediately shooting off over the city, no longer under SHIELD’s control.

Tony knew his AI would make sure Romanoff didn’t bother them for quite some time.

Loki tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with a dark curiosity. “My, my,” he said. “The invincible Iron Man. Did you come all the way out here just for me?”

Tony matched the smirk, and he knew that Loki would be able to hear the expression in his voice.

“You’re certainly worth it. If you were looking for the attention of the whole world, you got it.”

“How about the attention of just one man?”

“You didn’t need to gouge out an eye and replicate a Nuremberg Rally to do that,” Tony said.

“Didn’t I?” Loki arched a brow, stepping slightly closer again– close enough that his breath was probably fogging the gold of Tony’s faceplate. Loki’s head tilted up a little more, one hand lifting to brush the backs of his fingers over the mask’s sharply-cut cheeks. “I needed you to find me. And as I did not know which side you would choose… I needed to give you the _chance_ to make your decision.”

Loki’s voice remained soft as he spoke, but there was something of a tension to it, an underlying toxicity that let Tony know that Loki was not unprepared for this to go _either_ way.

But rather than scaring him… it made him _sad._ Because he and Loki– well, there never used to be any kind of question. 

“Loki,” he said, his voice a little rough. “It’s been a _year_. What happened to you? I’ve been praying for you.”

A noise of horrified surprise sounded from Rogers’ mouth—

But once again, neither Tony nor Loki even looked at him.

Loki’s brow furrowed, but that tension smoothed away– and Tony knew that Loki had already found his answer.

_Good._

“I know,” Loki said. “I heard you.”

Tony straightened slightly, his suit whirring with the movement. “Then you know where I stand.”

Loki’s responding grin was suddenly and entirely _feral._ “Yes,” he said. “I suppose I do.”

And Tony was no longer worried. All he felt now was anticipation. He didn’t know where this was going to go, but regardless, he knew that he would not change his mind.

He watched as Loki turned away from him, adjusted his grip on the sceptre, and moved back to Rogers. 

“I’m so sorry,” Loki said, not sounding it in the slightest. “I did have an alternate plan which involved you remaining alive, but with Anthony at my side… I do believe I no longer require your assistance.”

Rogers’ eyes widened—

And then his lips stained red with a gurgled cough, blood spattering from between them as Loki pulled the sceptre free of where it had slid below Rogers’ ribs in a sharp, clean thrust.

Loki didn’t wait to watch him breathe his last– he was back in front of Tony before the body hit the ground, holding out a hand.

“Anthony?”

Tony didn’t hesitate to take it, his fingers itching in his gauntlet as he wished that their contact could be skin on skin.

From the look in Loki’s eye, Tony was rather sure he wouldn’t have to wait long.

“You’ll tell me what’s going on?” Tony asked, his voice low.

“Anthony, I will explain everything,” Loki replied. “I meant what I said to Rogers. Together… we will be able to make it out of this alive.”

For a moment, Tony let his gaze linger on Rogers’ unmoving corpse—

But only for a moment.

He knew what was more important—

And, finally giving in to the desire that had been curling through him ever since JARVIS had shown him the clip of Loki escaping from PEGASUS, Tony flipped up his faceplate and used his grip on Loki’s hand to pull him closer, pressing their lips together in a closed-mouthed but no less passionate kiss.

“ _Everything,”_ Tony echoed a few seconds later, their lips still half-connected. “I want to know what I’ve signed myself up for, even if it’s not going to change my mind.”

“There’s less to tell than you might think,” Loki replied. “A planet to conquer, a Titan to kill. It’s not going to be easy, but Anthony– I _meant_ it. Together, we’ll be able to rule this world without any need for further _fear.”_

Tony knew that his long-time lover must have been through a hell of a lot over the past year that they’d been apart, but whatever it was that he still wasn’t saying– Loki _was_ right. They’d work through it together—

So that they could _stay_ together.

Because in the grand scheme of things? That was all that truly mattered.

And as he felt Loki’s magic curl around him, preparing to transport them both through the walls between worlds to god knows where, Tony just pressed their lips together once more.

He knew what he wanted, and not SHIELD, not the world, not even the _right thing to do_ could stand in the way of him getting it.

His loyalties had always been with Loki– and that was where they would stay.


End file.
